The present disclosure refers to an electrical switch for nautical equipment.
Aboard pleasure boats, yachts, ships, etc., electrical actuation nautical equipment is often installed. For example, motorized nautical equipment is available that, for its relative operation, requires an electric power supply and relative switches that can be controlled by the crew. Motorized winches, other systems for adjusting the sail, electrical anchor windlasses, motorized reefing and furling systems, bow thrusters, etc., belong to this category.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,028 describes a motorized winch supplied with power by an internal battery of the rechargeable type. The actuation of the winch is controlled by the user by means of a button switch arranged on the upper part of the winch itself, not far from the coupling seat of the handle for the manual actuation of the winch. The switch is of the on/off type, and is generally circular-shaped and has a diameter corresponding to the finger print of just one finger of the hand of the user. In particular the actuation of the winch occurs by only pressing the button and stops as soon as the button itself is released.
Generally, the switches used to control motorized devices installed on board of ships or boats are simply button switches of the type described above, suitable for being activated with a finger.
Such switches typically are provided with a fixed structure in which the circuitry is housed, stably connected to the boat or to the relative controlled device, and a corresponding mobile structure, that can be translated or deformed by the user, comprising the electric contact that closes/opens the electric circuit within which the switch is installed. The switch is sealed in order to avoid water or humidity, which could rust the circuitry, from infiltrating.
The switches conventionally used in the nautical field have some limitations.
A first limitation is given by the fact that the nautical switches conventionally used can be easily activated even by children or non authorized crew, or in any case by people who may not be aware of the risks of activating the relative motorized device, with obvious risks concerning sailing safety and safety of the passengers.
A second limitation is represented by the fact that such switches can exclusively be activated with fingers or if necessary with the palm of a hand. In some circumstances, for example when the switch is arranged at floor level or at the level of the deck of the boat, the relative use is awkward, especially in bad weather conditions when the rolling and pitching of the boat make the passengers on board lose their balance.
A third limitation is given by the fact that the switches conventionally used in the nautical field generally allow a single corresponding electrical device to be activated and turned off. For example, generally it is not possible, with a single switch, to electrically control more than one motorized winch or control the two winch speeds of a winch with many speeds, since the circuitry conventionally installed foresees that a button manages only one rotation speed.
The technical problem forming the basis of the present disclosure is that of providing an electrical switch for applications in the nautical field, i.e., a switch for the actuation of motorized nautical devices or in any case electrically supplied with power, which solves the drawbacks of conventional solutions in a simple and effective manner.